Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 173

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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173. Thank you for understanding.

Mountain View, California, United States.
A massive Cadillac Escalade pulled up in front of a five-story building located slightly outside the city center, as intense morning sunlight poured down from above.
A powerfully built Black Man stepped out from the passenger seat wearing sunglasses—it was Bockus, Seok-won’s personal bodyguard.
As Bockus, dressed in a black suit, moved, a pistol hidden beneath his unbuttoned shirt became slightly visible.
Bockus scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes before opening the rear door.

“We’ve arrived, boss.”
“Thank you.”

Stepping out of the car, I stood for a moment gazing up at the building, then fixed my gaze on the nameplate reading “Netscape Communications” on one side of the main entrance.

“They’ve moved to a decent place.”

It certainly looked far better than their previous office.

“Let’s go in.”

I said this and strode forward ahead of Bockus.

Tom Harper’s office, the Netscape founder, was still crammed with miscellaneous items.
Though the company’s success had made it larger and more spacious than before, his daily routine of sitting in front of a computer and typing away remained unchanged.
Even now, Tom Harper sat hunched over his monitor in faded jeans and a worn t-shirt with the American flag printed on it, working intently on something.

“Sir, you have a visitor.”

The Female Secretary knocked with her hand as she spoke.

“Tell them I’m busy and to come back later, or have them meet with Bill instead.”

Tom didn’t even glance up, immediately pawning off the bothersome task to Bill.
The Female Secretary responded without any sign of surprise, as if this happened regularly.

“It’s Park Seok-won, the CEO of Eldorado Fund.”
“Seok-won is here?”
“Yes.”

Only then did Tom lift his head and speak hurriedly.

“Tell him to come in.”
“Understood.”

A moment later, Seok-won entered wearing a light linen jacket and Gucci Horsebit loafers.

“When did you arrive in the United States?”

Tom rose with a bright smile and greeted him warmly.
After exchanging a cordial handshake, Seok-won found himself smiling inwardly at Tom’s unchanged appearance—despite becoming a billionaire, he remained exactly as I had first known him.

“I told you during our last call that I’d be heading to San Francisco to see you.”
“Was that today? I’ve been so swamped with work, I completely forgot.”

Tom scratched the back of his head as he answered.
A glance at his desk revealed it scattered with all manner of clutter—half-eaten pizza boxes and cola cans strewn about amid the chaos.

“Ha, I told the cleaning crew never to touch my desk. This just happened to pile up—it’s not normally like this, I swear!”

Noticing my gaze, Tom sheepishly made excuses while sweeping all the trash from his desk into the wastebasket.

“What on earth keeps you so busy?”
“We’ve started development on version 3.0.”

Seok-won’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

“You’ve already begun developing Netscape 3.0?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s only been a few months since version 2.0 launched. Shouldn’t you be releasing bug fixes and update patches first before jumping to the next major version?”

Tom shrugged as he responded.

“Normally, yes.”
“So you’re skipping patches and going straight into 3.0 development?”
“Of course, we’re still working on patches to fix the various bugs—large and small—discovered in 2.0. The update should roll out by next month at the latest.”

Seok-won furrowed his brow, unable to comprehend the logic.

“I know you hired a lot of new development staff after going public, but wouldn’t it be more efficient to focus on finishing the patch work first, then move on to version 3.0 development?”
“That was the original plan, but circumstances have forced us to accelerate the timeline.”

A thought flashed through my mind, and I felt my expression stiffen as I asked.

“Is it because of Microsoft?”
“Yes.”

Tom nodded without hesitation or evasion.

“Our web browser technology is far superior, but now that Microsoft has emerged as a competitor, I can’t just sit idle with my hands folded.”

During our last call, he’d displayed unwavering confidence that he could handle Microsoft without breaking a sweat. But now, facing them head-on, his nervousness was unmistakable.

‘It makes sense, really. This isn’t just any company—it’s Microsoft, the software industry’s behemoth that monopolized computer operating systems through Windows.’

Both now and in the future, Microsoft reigned as the apex predator of the software industry, ruthlessly devouring or crushing competitors beneath its heel.

‘The current Microsoft, not yet wary of antitrust laws and with its founder Christopher Alexander still young and full of vigor, is operating without restraint.’

Tom, who understood Microsoft as well as I did, had every reason to be cautious.

“You’re not upset that we licensed the Mosaic patents to Microsoft, are you?”

I asked just to be sure, and Tom answered with a smile.

“Of course not. I already told you I was fine with it. I’m not the type to say one thing and mean another. Besides, I believe Mosaic technology shouldn’t be monopolized by one company—it should be available for everyone to use.”
“But if Microsoft uses Mosaic technology, they could quickly narrow the technological gap with Netscape.”

At that, Tom straightened his shoulders and wore a confident expression.

“If I monopolized the web browser market alone, I might grow complacent. But now that a formidable competitor has emerged, it actually keeps me sharp. I see it as a good thing.”
“You’re overflowing with confidence.”

I finally let out a soft laugh, my earlier concerns dissipating.

“I have the skills to back it up. When Microsoft hastily throws together a crude web browser, I’ll crush them with a vastly superior version 3.0. Just wait and see.”
“I really hope you deliver on that.”
“Hmph. When version 3.0 comes out soon, you’ll be shocked.”

Tom let out a scoff and replied, then belatedly realized his oversight as he hastily offered me a seat.

“Come to think of it, we’ve been standing this whole time talking. Let’s sit down first.”
“Sure.”

I nodded and settled onto the pristine sofa across from Tom—the kind that bore no signs of ever being used.

“So Microsoft proposed bundling Netscape with Windows, is that right?”
“Yeah. We met about three times and even negotiated.”
“Then the discussion must have gotten pretty concrete. So why did you reject the proposal?”

Tom’s expression hardened abruptly as he answered.

“They had ulterior motives.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They must have underestimated me. They presented absurd conditions and demanded I show them the entire source code first.”
“The source code?”
“Yeah! If I handed that over, it’d be like stripping naked. Did they think I’d just hand it over like some fool?”

Even I had to admit that demanding the source code crossed a serious line.

“Their greed went too far.”

Tom’s face twisted with indignation as he huffed, clearly still bothered by the memory.

“Obviously, their plan was to analyze the source code, completely dismantle Netscape, suck out all the valuable parts, then dump us and bundle their own web browser with Windows.”

It was a textbook tactic—a megacorporation stealing core technology from a subcontractor.
Microsoft had already pulled similar stunts multiple times, so suspicion was entirely justified.

“They must have thought I was some naive nerd who didn’t understand how the world works. Did they think I wouldn’t remember getting stabbed in the back by NCSA and would let it happen again?”

Tom carried the painful memory of developing Mosaic, the first web browser capable of displaying images, only to be discarded by the NCSA research institute where he worked.
That bitter experience made him all the more hostile toward Microsoft’s attempt to exploit him.

“As long as Microsoft doesn’t abandon their own web browser development, the two companies can’t coexist peacefully anyway. You made the right call.”
“That’s exactly why I’m accelerating the development of version 3.0—to knock them down a peg.”

Tom was sharpening his blade against Microsoft in his own way.

“Now that Microsoft has shown interest in the web browser market, they’ll do whatever it takes to seize market share.”

As I expressed my concern, Tom responded with equal gravity.

“I’m prepared for it. It’ll be a difficult fight, but ultimately, the other side will be the one to surrender.”

Watching Tom speak with such unwavering resolve, I leaned forward and spoke quietly.

“The opponent might not fight fairly. They could play an unfair game.”
“What do you mean?”

Meeting Tom’s narrowed gaze, I continued in a firm voice.

“What if they bundle their own web browser for free with Windows, which is essentially a monopoly operating system?”
“…!”

At this unexpected tactic, Tom’s pupils dilated sharply for a moment.

“If they do that, they won’t make any revenue from the web browser they developed. Surely they wouldn’t go that far.”
“If Microsoft is determined enough to seize Netscape’s over 90% web browser market share, they’re absolutely capable of such a bold move. Besides, since the revenue from paid versions is minimal anyway, a company like Microsoft could easily sacrifice that to eliminate a competitor.”

Netscape itself offered both paid and free versions, but most users downloaded and used the free version without paying.
Because of this, it had become an IT company with a market capitalization in the billions of dollars, yet its annual revenue was only in the millions.

‘The inability to generate profit was ultimately the biggest reason the IT bubble, which had dreamed of a rosy future, collapsed.’

Netscape was not immune to this fatal weakness.
Tom, who had been wearing a serious expression, soon looked up.

“You’re right that Microsoft would be more than capable of doing such a thing. But since we also have a free version, we won’t lose market share. In the end, users will gravitate toward the web browser with the best features.”

Tom spoke with unwavering confidence.
But knowing full well how the web browser market would eventually fall to Microsoft, I felt a pang of sympathy for Tom’s optimism.

‘A competition against Microsoft, which controls Windows—an essential component for running computers—was never going to be a fair fight from the start.’

Since the outcome was predetermined and there was no clear way to change it, I had nothing to say.
Yet this solidified my resolve regarding the sale of Netscape shares, which I had been deliberating over until the very end.
I clasped my hands together and spoke calmly.

“I came to see you today because there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“I’m thinking of selling my stake.”

Tom’s expression shifted to one of surprise as he asked back.

“Why? Don’t tell me it’s because of Microsoft.”
“It’s not that.”

Seok-won shook his head.

“Then why are you selling your stake?”
“The purpose of venture capital is to invest in promising startups, help them grow, achieve an IPO, and then realize profits once their value increases. That’s how it works.”
“That’s true, but….”
“Fortunately, the IPO was successful and we’ve earned more profit than expected. More importantly, the company is now structured well enough to operate smoothly without me, so I think it’s time for me to step back.”

Seok-won continued speaking calmly, as if this were purely a business decision with no emotional attachment.

“Since I’ve made substantial profits, I want to find and invest in other promising ventures that could deliver another jackpot like Netscape Communications.”
“I see….”

Tom couldn’t find any grounds to argue against the proposal, and though he felt disappointed, he decided to respect his friend’s decision.

“You seem to have made up your mind already, so it’s unfortunate but unavoidable.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“No, I’m the one who should thank you. I wouldn’t have come this far without your help.”

Tom spoke with a forced smile.
In truth, he would have preferred for Seok-won to remain as a steadfast backer and investor, but he couldn’t hold him back out of pure selfishness.
Then Seok-won fell silent for a moment before looking at Tom with a serious expression.

“As a friend, I’m advising you: never underestimate Microsoft. And if a situation arises where you absolutely cannot defeat them, you must have the courage to let go of what you have.”

Tom’s face showed confusion at these final words, but Seok-won paid it no mind.

“Remember what I said.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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